Arts & Entertainment

A&E

Dr. Dre’s “Compton” is a fitting finale

By Karim Saoud | August 27, 2015

Dr. Dre released his third and final studio album, “Compton,” on Aug. 7, 16 years after his last album, “2001.” A compilation of everything that makes Dre, Dre, “Compton” is an ode to his hometown, reflects on his upbringing and features many of the rap artists he’s helped along the way. “Compton” does its best to transport listeners to the city of Compton, beginning with a newscast-like introduction to the story of Compton’s potential glory and rapid downfall.

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A&E

Previewing Titus Andronicus’ upcoming D.C. show

By Noah Zeidman | August 27, 2015

New York punk rockers Titus Andronicus will be lighting up the stage at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C.

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A&E

“Mr. Robot” might be the best new show on TV

By Walker Peterson | August 27, 2015

USA Network has long been a safe harbor in the often-overwhelming sea of television choices, offering non-challenging shows with procedurally formatted single-season arcs.

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A&E

My Morning Jacket: More versatile than your typical jacket

By Karim Saoud | August 20, 2015

With all of the auto-tuned and heavily edited studio beats present in modern music, it isn’t every day a band sounds better live than on iTunes.

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A&E

‘Almost, Maine’ is a near disaster

By Tyrone Cadogan | August 16, 2015

“Almost, Maine” is almost bearable. Almost every character in the play is trite and one dimensional.

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A&E

“Amy” is a modern masterpiece

By Tyrone Cadogan | August 5, 2015

“Amy” ends. The credits roll, but no one stirs. Instead, we sit, myself and roughly a dozen others, with our eyes fixed on the screen.

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A&E

“Magic Mike XXL” learns to embrace levity

By Elizabeth McCauley | July 13, 2015

People generally go see strippers for one reason: to watch them strip. People go see movies about strippers for a slightly more varied set of reasons — perhaps for the cast, perhaps for a little narrative context to go with their chiseled abs — but for the most part, they want stripping.

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A&E

Paul McCartney enthralls audience “Out There” in Charlottesville in late June

By Kathryn Zobeck | July 13, 2015

Former Beatle Paul McCartney made his first-ever appearance in Charlottesville at the John Paul Jones Arena June 23.

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A&E

“Wildheart” is not exactly wild

By Samantha Rafalowski | July 13, 2015

Miguel Jontel Pimentel was born into a musically inclined family. Heavily influenced by his parents’ affinity for R&B and jazz, Miguel began pursuing a career in the music industry at age thirteen.

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A&E

“Inside Out” flips Pixar’s potential upside down

By Walker Peterson | July 7, 2015

Since its inception, Pixar has been making people laugh, cry and feel a whole other host of emotions with stories based around characters which are usually not even human.

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A&E

“Entourage” lacks plot, substance

By Madison DeLuca | July 7, 2015

In “Entourage,” the film adaptation of the identically-named HBO series, main characters Vince (Adrian Grenier), Ari (Jeremy Piven), Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon) are up to their old antics.

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A&E

A$AP Rocky’s new era opens with growth

By Samantha Rafalowski | July 7, 2015

Lord Pretty Flacko, better known as A$AP Rocky, has been quiet the last few years, but he certainly has not been inactive.

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A&E

‘Blurryface’ rides ups and downs

By Candace Carter | July 7, 2015

Twenty One Pilots’ latest work, “Blurryface” is nowhere near as fresh as their third album, “Vessel,” making “Blurryface” somewhat underwhelming in comparison.

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A&E

“#RichKids of Beverly Hills” season 3 is more of the same

By Merlin Zhang | July 7, 2015

The majority of the so-called “rich kids of Beverly Hills” share three characteristics that have changed very little over the course of the show's two previous seasons. The first is an obsession with material wealth, which seems genuine.

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A&E

“Aloha” is a white-washed, red-hot mess

By Elizabeth McCauley | July 7, 2015

A love story can be incorporated into just about any topic. Ideally, the romance would encompass and advance the entire narrative, such as the love between a poor artist and a wealthy aristocrat which fosters a broader message against classism in “Titanic.” Framing a love story within unique or trying circumstances is convenient from a writing standpoint and for making historic or tragic events more comprehensible.

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A&E

Sense8 is a bold and grand piece of work despite flaws

By Sam Henson | June 19, 2015

The first season of “Sense8” is the latest release from streaming-powerhouse Netflix. The show was conceived and driven by the Wachowski siblings, best known for the “Matrix” films, and co-creator J. Michael Straczynski. 

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A&E

'Pitch Perfect 2' hits a few sour notes

By Ellen Adams | June 2, 2015

“Pitch Perfect,” the musical comedy that centered around the world of competitive collegiate a cappella, became a surprise hit and highlighted a cappella as a cultural phenomenon after it’s release three years ago.

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A&E

The Southern's birthday tribute to Bob Dylan

By Dixon White | June 2, 2015

To celebrate legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan’s 74th birthday, The Southern’s “Released: A Birthday Tribute to Bob Dylan” showcased eight Charlottesville musical groups paying their respects to Dylan and performing their interpretations of his songs. Kai Crowe-Getty, of the headlining band Lord Nelson, introduced the show with a traditional acoustic cover of “Highway 61 Revisited” track “Queen Jane Approximately.” Following the introduction, he gave an emotional speech about discovering Dylan’s music through his dad, who also joined him on stage for his last song.

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A&E

Marvel Mondays: heroes ranked

By Charles Hancock | May 26, 2015

The release of “Avengers: Age of Ultron” provides a great opportunity to take stock of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far, despite the fact Phase Two technically concludes with July’s release of “Ant-Man.”

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A&E

“Mad Max: Fury Road” paves new course for action films

By John Mattingly | May 21, 2015

In Rob Reiner’s 1984 mockumentary, “This is Spinal Tap,” a member of the eponymous, fictitious rock band explains that, unlike most speaker systems, which go from one to 10, theirs go to eleven.